New Therapy For Heart Rhythm Problem

[WCCO-TV, February 09, 2011] As Valentine’s Day approaches it may be good to have your heart all aflutter.

But, for up to three million Americans, it is a daily occurrence and that is not a good thing. They have the most common heart rhythm problem: atrial fibrillation.

Dr. William Katsiyiannis, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute, describes atrial fibrillation as a short circuit of sorts, in which misfiring electrical signals trigger unsynchronized contractions.

While medications work for some and pacemakers for others, Katsiyiannis has become a fan of Arctic Front by Medtronic. Arctic Front relies on cryoablation to flash-freeze the inner surface of the heart’s upper chambers, changing the tissue and calming the chaos.  Watch the full story below.